Another kind of love. Empathy.

I decided on what my blog posts were going to be earlier this week....and will still post those two topics later on (preview: my theories on why some men are womanizers and why some women are promiscuous...stay tuned!) but I decided after my encounter with a woman at Starbucks today that I had to post about her.

I was at Starbucks on Osborne today after school, getting myself a coffee and sitting down to do some homework. That particular Starbucks is home to me. I can be found there a few times a week on coffee dates, studying, or just getting a drink. I’m there regularly and loyally and always get my signature venti Earl Grey tea with a shot of caramel.

Anyways, every time I've been there in the last month, I’ve seen the same guy there. Now this guy is a simple guy. He is in a wheelchair, has an obvious deformity to his face, and a distinct speech impediment. He moves around the store in his wheelchair and approaches different people, spends a few mins at each table, and then moves on.
I have had him come up to me quite a few times. I always quietly smile at him and make way if he needs me to. He usually comes to my table, talks to me (I have never been able to understand what he is saying), and then he moves on.

Today, something different happened. I was sitting at my table writing on my laptop when the same guy approached. I smiled at him, moved some chairs for him, and then continued on with my work. This has been the standard response towards him. Every person I have seen with him reacts quite similarly. Except today. At the table next to me was a lady, about 40 I'd say. She was a simple woman but beautiful and I could tell that she was probably waiting for a friend of hers to meet her for a coffee date.

The man in the wheelchair rolled up to her. I had my headphones in and so I could not hear what they were talking about and I proceeded to write. After about 5 mins or so, I glanced over. The man in the wheelchair was still at her table with her. This was odd. I'd never seen him stay at a table for more than a minute or so. Most people did not talk to him for that long because it was so difficult to understand what he was saying. I slowly took my headphones out and listened. The woman was talking to the man. They were chatting. She could understand what he was saying. She was laughing. She told him that he was an inspiration to her and she continued by asking him a few more questions and soon, I knew this man's history. He had been in a car accident at the age of 19, about 10 years ago, and had been seriously disabled since. The woman related with the man, told him about her own son that was 19, and even pulled out some photographs that she had with her to share with him. They laughed for a while longer and soon thereafter, the man moved on.

A few minutes later, I couldn't help myself. I turned to her and said, “I’ve seen countless people smile awkwardly at that man, barely look him, or talk to him in a condescending and pitiful way. You are the only person who I have seen reach out to that man. Thank you for that. You inspired me." The lady looked at me, expressed that she believes that everyone deserves a little empathy, and then wiped her tears that she said I caused because of my kind words.

She told me later she was a teacher and had a student in one of her classes that also had a speech impediment. She said, as long as you listen closely, even if you miss a few words, you can eventually pick up what they are saying.
She had asked the man if he was hitting on her during the conversation as a joke. She said his reply was, “for now, we're just talking. But soon, you'll see how incredible I am and not be able to resist."

We laughed together. The fact that he had that much insight is more than most of the bozo men we've met in our lives have, we agreed.

I want to thank you, mystery woman. Because you inspired me. I consider myself an open and inviting person to most and live my life trying to be as good of a human being as possible but when I couldn't understand that man on the first try, I did just give up on him. You did not. Your empathetic and patient nature towards him touched me so and was one of the nicest things I have witnessed in awhile.

I couldn't help but have to write about you. You inspired me. You motivated me to be better. And you've given me a lesson in humanity and love that I'm sure I'll remember forever. Thank you.